University of California, Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall)

The Law School

“Berkeley Law is a community of thinkers and doers exuberantly engaged in life. We are one of the nation’s premier law schools, located at one of the world’s great universities, in one of the most vibrant places on the planet.”

Berkeley Law is currently ranked among the Top 10 law schools in the nation, by U.S. News, with a reputation for being one of the most selective. At Berkeley Law, our students are taught by distinguished professors who are also cutting edge scholars. We offer a superb education in both established and emerging fields of law. Our intellectual property program was the first of its kind, and remains dominant more than a decade later. We were legal pioneers of the Green Movement, creating the nation’s first environmental law program. Our multifaceted social justice program is a magnet for socially minded faculty and students from across the country. And we are equally committed to using our substantial intellectual capital to help solve real-world problems and to create a more just society. We are distinguished by the extraordinary degree to which our students and faculty partner with people beyond the school: identifying challenges, creating alliances, solving problems, and sparking change. In Berkeley and around the world.

The Program

At Berkeley Law, we’re building professionals with more major muscle groups, people capable of integrating law, business, politics, finance, and social sciences. We’re producing high-end lawyers who, when faced with uncharted territory, will have the skills to navigate. We’re expanding our research and extending our reach through a fast-growing number of issues-oriented think tanks. Our advanced degree programs include students from over 50 countries who fully participate in this vibrant, diverse intellectual community. Berkeley Law offers Advanced Law Degree Programs that are internationally recognized and highly competitive. Here, there are two paths to an LL.M. Degree: the standard nine-month academic-year program and an accelerated 10-week program that spans two consecutive summers.

Students in our academic-year LL.M. program choose between two tracks: coursework and thesis. In both cases, the focus is on customization. Each student in the coursework track develops a unique curriculum that combines required and elective classes. In addition to taking the required Legal Writing and Research course, and uniquely designed and integrated coursework introducing students to U.S. law, students may select courses within a single field of study to focus on a particular area of law, or draw from the full range of law school offerings to gain a breadth of knowledge. The thesis track- available only to academic-year students - consists of a research project culminating in a thesis. Working closely with a faculty adviser, each student completes 12 units of coursework and eight units of independent study. This option is appropriate primarily for individuals pursuing academic or other research-focused careers.

In 2009, we introduced an accelerated LL.M. program that enables international students to earn their degrees over two consecutive summers. One of the few programs of its kind, the summer-only program condenses the academic year LL.M. curriculum into two 10-week semesters. This makes it ideal for attorneys who prefer not to leave their jobs or families for a single nine-month stretch. Coursework is more prescribed than in the academic-year program, and the two terms must be taken in sequence. However, this program should allow students to meet all educational requirements to sit for the California Bar Exam.

The Faculty

Berkeley Law professors are superb instructors as well as internationally recognized experts in wide-ranging specialties from international law to intellectual property. Berkeley Law is the academic home to the recipients of 15 Fulbright and 20 Guggenheim Fellowships and to the authors of many casebooks that are used worldwide. Because teaching is at the heart of this enterprise, we made a strategic decision in 2004 to grow our faculty by 40 percent. Since then, we’ve added 21 stellar scholars to our ranks—enabling us to broaden our academic offerings and to reduce our student-faculty ratio. Our faculty is packed with ultra-high-achievers, but they’re famously approachable and accessible too. Most look for ways to engage with students outside the classroom—whether by collaborating on a research project or simply mingling over lunch on our sunny deck.

Application Procedure

Each year we attract an exceptional and diverse group of students from the United States and abroad. The Advanced Law Degree Programs seeks to integrate law students from around the world, at various levels of study. Our students are deeply engaged not only with their education but also with issues of local, national and global import. We look at applications holistically, building a rich and diverse student body.

Applicants for admission to the Master of Laws LL.M. Program must have completed a regular curriculum at an accredited college and/or law school, and must hold a professional degree from a law school by the time they begin the LL.M. program at Berkeley Law. International applicants must also demonstrate proficiency in the English language via a minimum TOEFL score. Note that any applicant already holding an LL.M. degree from an American institution will not be considered for either program. For further application requirements, see the Berkeley Law website at www.law.berkeley.edu.

Student Life

At Berkeley Law, we pride ourselves on creating an atmosphere that recognizes and nurtures the best in people, intellectually and personally. You'll become an integral part of a close-knit student body of some 900 bright and energetic scholars. Small class sizes promote a keen camaraderie that's evident throughout our seminar rooms, hallways and courtyards.

Summer program students benefit from the undivided attention of faculty and from social networking events sponsored by the program office and faculty. These events allow students to get to know their peers on a personal level outside of the classroom. Academic year program students get the best of both worlds – the chance to study with the J.D. population as well as participate in LL.M. specific courses and activities. Both programs allow students the opportunity to develop a worldwide network of peers and the opportunity to explore the vibrant Bay Area. Events for LL.M. students have included a bowling trip to San Francisco and a hike through Berkeley’s serene Botanical Gardens.

Summer Program

“Two summers, one world-class degree.”

Berkeley Law now offers a program that enables students to earn an LL.M. degree in two consecutive 10-week summer sessions. Distilled from our 9-month curriculum, the summer program was designed for the foreign-educated lawyer who wants the prestige and career-boosting potential of a Berkeley LL.M. degree, but who cannot leave family or professional commitments for an entire academic year.

The summer program is condensed, but comprehensive. The courses are taught by full-time Berkeley Law faculty who are leaders in their fields. The curriculum offers LL.M. students in-depth immersion into the essential concepts of U.S. Law. Plus, students have access to all of the academic resources that the University of California, Berkeley has to offer.